What is the definition of a college fantasy football sleeper?  The answer lies in the eye of the beholder. 

For the sake of this article, let’s define a sleeper loosely as someone that probably won’t be drafted in the first half of your fantasy draft. Some of the guys on our list below will be undervalued on draft day and are certainly worthy of a back half selection, some might make a nice final round flier, and others are simply names to stash away on your waiver wire watch list.

Below is our list of sleepers sorted by the initial CFG Big Board preseason fantasy ranking.

Running Back Sleepers

Morgan Williams, JR (Toledo) – CFG Rank #33
Williams showed flashes of brilliance during his freshman year, but spent his sophomore year backing up Dajuane Collins.  With Collins moving on, Williams is the main back for what should be a highly productive Toledo offense.  Look for him to eclipse the 1,000-yard, 10 TD barrier.

Willie Geter, SR (Bowling Green) – CFG Rank #34
Geter is gaining steam in fantasy circles and might not be defined as a sleeper once most drafts take place in mid-August.  In 2009, he totaled 1,122 yards from scrimmage with 10 scores while playing second banana to the potent Tyler Sheehan-Freddie Barnes passing connection.  With that duo moving on, the offense is expected to be centered around Geter.

Lennon Creer, JR (Louisiana Tech) – CFG Rank #38
Creer, a Tennessee transfer, will compete with Lyle Fitte for the starting role.  If he can win the job and become the feature back, he will have tremendous fantasy potential.  The new offense led by Tony Franklin and Sonny Dykes will provide plenty of opportunities.

Charles Clay, SR (Tulsa) – CFG Rank #41
Clay was a fantasy bust in 2009, falling way short of some lofty expectations.  Now, as a natural reaction, fantasy owners aren’t touching him with a ten-foot pole.  His average draft position has dropped much farther than it should.  He still has loads of potential due to his outstanding receiving skills.  He could be a steal in the late rounds of your draft this year.

Andre Ellington, SO (Clemson) – CFG Rank #42
Ellington will combine with Jamie Harper to try to fill the shoes of the departed Mr. Everything, C.J. Spiller (1,715 yards from scrimmage, 16 TDs).  Ellington has a similar skill set (he can catch and run) .  We have him projected to rack up about 1,000-1,100 total yards and 10 scores.

Sam McGuffie, SO (Rice) – CFG Rank #43
The popular Michigan-transfer will likely be drafted earlier than he should in most leagues based solely on name recognition, but there is no denying his ability.  The questions with McGuffie are with his supporting cast.  Rice does not appear to be fielding one of its better offensive units in 2010.

Martin Ward, SO (Marshall) – CFG Rank #44
With star running back Darius Marshall leaving early for the NFL, Ward is now the Herd’s go-to guy.  He looked solid filling in for an injured Darius last fall, rushing for 393 yards and 3 scores.  His first two games are a Murderer’s Row (Ohio State, West Virginia), but after that it is smooth sailing.

Aaron Winchester, SO (Western Michigan) – CFG Rank #45
Winchester will be asked to fill the void left by longtime starter Brandon West.  With the Broncos breaking in a new quarterback, and a strong offensive line returning, look for the offense to lean a bit more on the running game than in past years.  Winchester will have the opportunity to flirt with a 1,000 yard season.

Mikel LeShoure, JR (Illinois) – CFG Rank #46
LeShoure doesn’t have a terribly high ceiling as long as fellow RB Jason Ford is lurking in the shadows, but a 1,000-yard, 10 TD season is not out of the question.  LeShoure averaged 6.8 ypc in 2009 and should see more touches this fall.

Isaiah Pead, JR (Cincinnati) – CFG Rank #47
Brian Kelly’s protégé, Butch Jones, takes over as head coach of the Bearcats.  This is good news for fantasy owners and the offense should continue on its upward path.  Look for Pead to build on his 1,007 total yard, 11 TD season from a year ago.

Bobby Rainey, JR (Western Kentucky) – CFG Rank #50
Toby Gerhart’s positional coach of the last three years, Willie Taggart, takes over the helm for the Hilltoppers.  Can some of Gerhart’s success rub off on Rainey?  He rushed for 939 yards and 6 scores a year ago.  We’ve got him pegged for 1,008 yards and 8 TDs in 2010.

Larry Caper, SO (Michigan State) – CFG Rank #52
The Spartans produced a fantasy stud in Javon Ringer a few years back.  Caper and Edwin Baker come onto the scene last year as freshman and shared the load along with a couple veteran backs.  With the vets graduating, Caper should see a significant increase in carries.

Joe Martinek, JR (Rutgers) – CFG Rank #53
“Jersey Joe” quietly rumbled his way to 979 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2009.  Against one of the weaker schedules in the country, Martinek should produce at a similar level and become a decent fantasy back in BCS-only leagues.

Princeton McCarty, JR (Idaho) – CFG Rank #56
McCarty rushed for 680 yards in a backup role a year ago.  With 2009 starter DeMaundray Woolridge and his 171-979-18 statline moving on, the door is open for lots of carries.  There are concerns: McCarty will battle Deonte Jackson for touches, and he will be running behind one of the country’s most inexperienced offensive lines.

Mo Plancher, SR (USF) – CFG Rank #61
With Mike Ford leaving the team, Mo Plancher is easily the most accomplished back left on the depth chart.  New head coach Skip Holtz will likely lean on the run in his first year which should equate to a significant increase in touches for Plancher (129-581-5 in 2009).

J.J. DiLuigi, JR or Joshua Quezada, FR (BYU) – CFG Rank #62 & UNR
With Harvey Unga unexpectedly withdrawing from school this spring, the Cougars have some huge shoes to fill.  Assuming BYU goes with a feature back approach and not a shared load scenario, whoever wins this position battle will hold fantasy value.

Tre Newton, SO (Texas) – CFG Rank #68
With Colt McCoy now playing on Sundays, the Longhorns are installing more of a pro set offense.  One would think this would mean good things for the Texas running backs.  Coach Mack Brown is searching for a feature back, and Newton has a shot of being The Man.  Remember, it wasn’t too long ago that Jamal Charles, Cedric Benson and Ricky Williams were rushing for huge numbers in Austin.

Jared Tew, SR (Air Force) – CFG Rank #69
Tew carried the rock 238 times in 2009 for 970 yards and 9 scores.  Look for more of the same from the 6’0 210-pounder in his swan song season.

Raymond Carter, JR (Colorado State) – CFG Rank #73
The Rams are only two years removed from Gartrell Johnson’s 1,467 rushing yard performance.  In 2010, the RB depth chart is crowded with Carter, Leonard Mason and John Mosure all in the mix.  Carter is a UCLA-transfer who could be the most talented of the bunch.  He’s not worth a draft pick, but monitor this situation in September to see if Carter can emerge as the feature back.

Alvester Alexander (sophomore, Wyoming) – CFG Rank #77
Alexander is the surefire feature back for the Cowboys.  He rushed for 640 yards and 7 scores as a freshman last fall and should improve greatly upon those numbers in year two.

Jermie Calhoun, SO (Oklahoma) – CFG Rank #84
Calhoun is one Demarco Murray tweaked hammy away from fantasy glory.  And Murray is always banged up.  Calhoun has the talent to excel at the job if given the chance.  Even if Murray stays on the field, Calhoun has value.  We project him for around 800-900 total yards and 6-7 TDs as the No. 2 man.

Mike Ball, SO (Nevada) – CFG Rank #85
The Wolfpack had three rushers eclipse the 1,000 rushing plateau in 2009 – Colin Kaepernick, Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott.  Exit Lippincott and enter Mike Ball as the potential RB3 of the trio.  Ball averaged 9.6 ypc last year with the highlight of the season being a ridiculous 15-183-5 statline versus UNLV.

Phillip Tanner, SR (Middle Tennessee) – CFG Rank #99
Tanner was seemingly on the verge of a big fantasy season in 2009 before sustaining a season-ending injury in September.  He is apparently fully recovered and ready to be the lead back for the Blue Raiders. Tanner has a nose for the endzone, scoring 16 TDs in 2008.

Kendrick Hardy, rFR (Southern Miss) – CFG Rank #103
The Golden Eagles made a fantasy star out of Damion Fletcher the past four years.   Hardy appears to be in a possible Running Back By Committee situation at the moment, but the highly-touted former recruit has the most upside of the bunch.   If he can win the job outright, look for a healthy combination of carries and receptions.

Covaughn Deboskie-Johnson, SO or Trajuan Briggs, FR (Cal) – CFG Rank #173 & UNR
Backup running backs at Cal have proven to be valuable fantasy commodities in recent years.  See Shane Vereen last year as a prime example.  With Vereen now entrenched as the star back, look for true freshman Briggs to battle “CDJ” for a spot in the 1-2 rotation.